Bailer



'Aug. 17, 1937. w. A. LARSON El AL 2,090,209 7 BAILER Filed Dec. '12, 1956 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES BAILEK William A. Larson and Harry '1. Swortwood, Oklahoma City, Okla.

ApplicationDecember 12, 1936, Serial No. 115,460

6 Claims.

This invention relates to bailers for use in cleaning out sand or other material which may have accumulated at the bottom of oil wells or other deep wells, and more particularly to plunger type bailers.

Some of the disadvantages of present type bailers are: the sticking of the pistondue to the lodging of grains of sand between the bailer wall and the sides of the piston; the entrance of sand free liquid past the plunger intothe barrel, and the consequent reduction in the amount of sand laden fluid which enters the barrel through the bottom inlet; back pressure upward on the bailer due to obstructed circulation of the fluid through the bailer as it is lowered through the liquid in the well; the inability to use the same tool joint for operation of the bailer as well as other tools; the lack of facility in'entirely emptying the bailer after it has been withdrawn from the well; the losing of the bailer in the well in case the head accidentally becomes separated from the barrel.

Objects of the invention, therefore, are: to provide a bailer which permits unobstructed circulation of liquid therethrou'gh as it passes downward to'the well bottom, thus preventing any possible back pressure and resulting damage to equipment; the plunger of which is so constructed as to greatly reduce the possibility of its "sticking due to the lodging of grains of sand between the plunger and the barrel in which it reciprocates; which provides a means for easily dislodging-the plunger in case it does become "stuck at any point within the barrel; the plunger of which is so constructed as to prevent fluid from passing around or through the plunger into the barrel, thus assuring that all fluid which enters the barrel on the upstroke of the plunger will do so through the bottom inlet, where the fluid is more heavily laden with sand and foreign matter; which is so constructed in its interior as to permit the use of a standard tool joint, either swivel socket or stiff socket, for its operation, which joint may also be used for connection to other tools without the necessity of disconnecting the usual sucker rod or cable from the tool joint; which provides a safety feature for preventing the barrel from being disconnected from the operating means in case the top of the bailer should accidentally become disconnected during operation; and to provide a bailer, the lower inlet valve of which may be easily opened to provide an outlet of substantially the same cross sectional area as the barrel 0! the bailer, without the necessity of removing the valve or the valve cage.

Other objects of the. invention will be apparent to the reader of the description hereinafter set forth.

passes through Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bailer partially. in section, showing the plunger valve closed;

I Figure 2 is a view similar plunger valve open;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 illustrates a portion of the operating means showing particularly the flutes thereon; and, Y

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the lower valve and its valve cage.

Like characters of parts in all the figures.

The drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not restrictive.

As disclosed in the drawing, numeral I designatesa barrel having vents 2 and 3, and having an internal annular shoulder l, which causes a reduced bore at this point. The barrel I is internally threaded at both ends. A valve cage 5, having the same exterior diameter as the barrel I, is adapted to be threadedly attached to the lower end of the barrel I. Its lower end has opposed inlets i and 1 through which fluid may enter the valve cage, pass the valve 8, and enter the barrel I. The valve 8 is a disc .valve substantially elliptical in shape and concave in crosssection. It is hinged to an internal bracket 9, and due toits concave shape, is adapted to lie substantially against the cylindrical wall of the valve cage when in a position toallow fluid to pass upwardly through the cage,- as shown by the upper dottedlines in Fig. 6. When in a closed position (as shown of a shape to close the bore of the valve cage without the necessity of a seat.v A set screw it to Fig. 1 showing the reference designate like ment of the valve 8. When the bailer is withdrawn from the well and it is desired to empty the liquid in the bailer above the valve 8, the set screw II is unscrewed a sufllcient distance to allow the valve 8 to pivot downwardly about the,

axis, as shown bythe lower dotted lines. In this position the valve so fits against the wall of the cage 5 that the valve passage area therethrough is substantially the same as the area through the upper end of the cage 5.

A head is provided for the bailer and is designated as a whole. by the numeral II. It is provided with a series of annular grooves around its upper portion to facilitate removal of the bailer from. the hole in case it becomes disconnected from the cable or rod I3 which normally lowers the bailer into the hole. The grooves permit an easygraspbytheflshingtool. The head II is the wall of the valve cage oppor site the bracket 9 to limit the downward moveby the solid lines) it is also provided with a removable longitudinal segment I2 which, when removed, provides direct communication with the bore of the head throughout its length, allowing removal of the cable or rod- I3, without the necessity of disconnecting the rod or cable from the tool joint 24. The segment I2 is held in position by pins I4 and I5 which pass through aligned holes drilled in the wall of the head and in the segment I2. The upper pin Ills prevented from accidental removal by a small plug I6, threadedly seated within the wall of the head I I as shown in Fig. 3. No such plug is necessary to prevent loss of the pin I5 due to the fact that the upper threaded end of the barrel I covers both ends of the perforation in which it lies.

Inside the barrel, the hollow plunger, designated as a whole by the numeral I1, is provided with expansion rings I8 and I9, which are seated in annular ring grooves near each end of the plunger, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The grooves are wider than the rings I8 and I9,

and the rings seat in the grooves loosely so that sand which enters the space behind the rings may be easily dislodged by movement of the rings upwardly or downwardly within the grooves. A

plurality of through perforations 28 are provided to afford communication between the various points in the ring grooves and the interior bore 30 of the plunger I1.

A valve head 20 is provided for controlling the passage of a fluid through the hollow plunger I I. When this valve head 20 is seated on its corresponding seat in the bottom of the plunger (as in Fig. 1), fluid above the plunger is thereby prevented from passing downwardly, and the per-' forations Just above mentioned allow fluid to pass from the interior of the plunger against the inner walls of the expansion rings I8 and I9,

. 40 thereby expanding the rings and tightly sealing I these rings against the inner wall of the barrel I. The greater the weight of the fluid above the plunger, the more tightly the rings flt the interior oi the barrel.

Intermediate the ring grooves the plunger I1 is provided with a plurality of spaced annular V- shaped grooves which serve to receive and house sand particles which may find their way into the space between the exterior of the plunger and the wall of the, bailer. The sand enters these grooves as the plunger moves in either direction and therefore is prevented from binding the plunger against the wall of the barrel. On the downstroke of'the plunger, the rings contract and fluid passes upwardly past the rings I8, and I3, and washes the accumulated sand out of these grooves.

Thesame means serves both to open and close the valve 20 at the lower end of the plunger,

to reciprocate the plunger within the barrel, and to dislodge the plunger in case it becomes stuck in the barrel. This operating means comprises a rod 2I secured to the valve head 23 by any suitable means, as by a. pin 22, made integral with a plunger stem 23, which is of a diameter to freely pass through the reduced bore of the barrel at shoulder l. The upper end of the stem 23 is conically threaded to receive the similarly threaded lower end oi the tool Joint 24, to which I is secured in a suitable manner either a cable or rod I3. The tool-joint 24 is also ofa diameter to pass through the reduced internal bore of the barrel at the shoulder l.

The stem 23, at its lower end, is cut away at two opposite points 25 and 26, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. This permits free circulation of fluid upward past this stem when the plunger I1 is at the upper end of its throw on the rod 2I, as shown in Fig. 2, the fluid passing upwardly into the annular space between the stem and the barrel.

Near its lower end the stem 23 is also provided with a plurality of spaced, longitudinally extending flutes, all of which are designated by the numeral 21, and the upper ends of which terminate in substantially the same horizontal plane. These flutes, by their contact with the interior wall of the barrel I serve not only to center the valve head 20 during its reciprocation, but also serve as stops to prevent the stem 23 from passing through the reduced internal bore of the barrel I at shoulder 4. The upper ends of the flutes contact the annular shoulder 4 and prevent further upward travel of the stem, thus preventing the loss of the barrel I in the well in case the head II accidentally becomes disconnected from the barrel I, during the operation.

Operation Sand and other material which has accumulated in a hole, and which prevents entry of oil or water into the'hole, as well as the removal of the oil or water from the hole, is removed-by Our bailer in the following manner. As the bailer is lowered into the hole on the cable or rod I3, the valve 8 is forced open by contact with the fluid standing in the hole. lowed to' enter the barrel I and to pass out unobstructed through the vent or vents 3,- which provide substantially the same cross-sectional outlet area as the combined areas 'of the inlets 6 and. 1. It will be noted that these vents 3 are below the plunger when it is at the uppermost end of its stroke. Since the entire bailer is immersed in fluid, it follows that there is fluid in the barrel above the plunger during the lowering process. When the bailer reaches a point in the hole where its further downward progress is greatly impeded or stopped by the accumulated sand and other foreign matter, the plunger easily, passes downwardly through the liquid in the barrel, due to its own weight and the added weight of stem 23 and the tool joint 24, and also due to free circulation oi liquid upward past the valve head 23, through the plunger I1, past the stem 23 and tool joint 24 and out through the annular space'surrounding the cable or rod I3.

When the plunger has reached the bottom of the barrel. it is drawn back upward by-means of 'the cable or rod I3. The valve 23 closes, of course, at the beginning of the upstroke. As the plunger travels upwardly the liquid in the barrel above the plunger expands the rings "and II as previously described and no liquid can enter the barrel from above the plunger. During the upward travel of the plunger, due'to the pressure 01' the liquid in the well, a great amount of sand and foreign matter, together with some liquid enters the barrel through the inlets 3 and I in the valve cage 3.

. The bailer is then withdrawn from the hole. the set screw III is loosened so that the valve 3 opens in a downward direction to allow the contents of the bailer to be emptied through the inlets I and 1. The valve is then pushed back upwardly in its cage, the set screw III tightened and the operation is repeated.

Should the plunger become stuck in the barrel it can easily be loosened by using the valve head The fluid is thus al- 20 as a hammer to dislodge it, or if a rod is being used instead of a cable, the lower end of the stem 23 can also be used as a hammeron the downward around the cable or rod l3 and is laid aside. The

tool joint 24 is then pulled outside the barrel I and unscrewed from member 23. The remainder of the bailer is then laid aside and the tool joint 24 may then be attached in the usual manner to the tool which it is desired to use in the well.

While we have illustrated a specific embodiment of our invention we do not wish to be limited except by the prior art and by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim-:

1. A well bailer comprising a barrel threaded interiorly at both ends, having an internal annular shoulder near its upper end, and having vents intermediate its ends; a valve cage threadedly attached to the lower end of said barrel and housing a one way gate valve adapted, when in open position, to allow unobstructed passage of a fluid through the bore of the valve cage into said barrel; a set screw through the wall of said cage for normally limiting the movement of said valve in one direction; a hollow plunger in the barrel having ,a valve seat formed in its lower end, and having a plurality of spaced annular grooves intermediate its ends for preventing sand particles from binding the plunger against free movement in said barrel; an annular ring groove at each end of said'plunger; an expansion ring in each of said ring grooves for sealing the plunger against the wall of the barrel; perforations through the Wall of the plunger affording communication between the ring grooves and the bore of the plunger; a valve head for the lower end of the plunger; a top member for the barrel; means extending through said plunger connected to said valve head and extending through said top member for moving said plunger in said bar.- rel; and spaced flutes carried by said plunger moving means for guiding said valve head in its longitudinal movement and for contacting the internal shoulder of said barrel to limit the upward travel of said plunger moving means independent of said top member.

2. A bailer comprising a barrel having a valve controlled bottom inlet; a hollow plunger in the barrel adapted to draw fluid into said barrel through said inlet as it is moved away from said inlet; a valve head for controlling the flow .of liquid through said plunger; a top for said barrel; operating means attached to said valve head extending through said plunger and through said top of the exterior of said-bailer for moving said plunger in either direction with relation to the barrel, and for moving said valve head in either direction with relation to said plunger; said operating means including a hammer adapted to contact said top to act as a jar to jar the entire bailer, and a plurality of outwardly extending guard flutes for maintaining said valve head in a centered position with relation to said plunger; and an internal annular shoulder formed near the upper end of said barrel for contacting said flutes to prevent the passage of said operating means and plunger outward through the upper end of said barrel in case the top accidentally becomes detached from said barrel.

3. In a plunger type bailer for wells, a hollow plunger open at both ends having a valve seat formed in one of its ends, and having an exterior annular ring groove formed near each of its ends, and also having a plurality of spaced ports through its walls aflording communication between the ring grooves and the interior of the plunger; an expansible piston ring, substantially narrower in width than the said grooves, seated in each groove; and a valve head for seating on said seat and closing the lower end of said plunger, whereby liquid trapped above the said plunger is by its own weight forced through said ports into thespace between said rings and their respective seats, and serves to expand said rings beyond their normal circumference.

4. In a bailer, a barrel having a bottom'inlet;

with a guide stem of larger diametei, said rod being of a length greater than that of the plunger, and carrying on its free end a valve head adapted when seated to close the lower end of said plunger; a centrally bored head for said barrel having a removable longitudinal sector; and operating means slidable through the bore of said head connected to the upper end of said guide stem for imparting a reciprocatory motion to said guide stem and plunger rod.

5. The combination with a bailer having a barrel, a reciprocable plunger therein and means for operating the plunger extending from the interior to the exterior of the barrel, of a head centrally bored to permit the reciprocal movement of said plunger operating means therethrough, and including a longitudinal sector removable therefrom; the slot in which said sector fits within the head affording a means for removing the entire head from said plunger operating means; a pair of spaced aligned latitudinal perforations through the head and through the sector; pins extending through the sector and into the-perforations in the head; and means for preventing the pins from accidentally moving out of said perforations.

6. In a bailer, a barrel; a head for said barrel; a plunger within the barrel; plunger operating means connected to said plunger; means extending from outside the barrel through said head, to the interior of the barrel for reciprocating said plunger operating means; and an internal annular shoulder below said head and near the upper end of said barrel and integral with said barrel afiording a reduced bore therethrough; said shoulder adapted to contact said plunger operating means and prevent its passage outward through the upper end of said barrel independent of said head; said reduced bore being of sufficient size to aiIord passage therethrough for said means for reciprocating said plunger operating means.

WILLIAM A. LARSON. HARRY T. SWORTWOOD. 

